Doctor Who Series Three
by Revfew
Summary: With the Doctor split into his past ten incarnations and imprisoned in his current incarnation by the nefarious Lekar, Maxine Vaughn must traverse the dangerous world to save him, one Doctor at a time...
1. The Man, the Gypsy and the Prince

"But you're not...oh, you're a past one...wonder if I'll see the colourful one again."

The Doctor, or at least the younger/older Doctor, looked at her as if she had just called him the devil.

"You mean to say you've met me in the future? Hmm! Of course you have my child. Please excuse my lapse of memory, old age, it, er, rattles the brain so to speak."

He raised his fingers to his lips to cover the chuckle coming from his dark, slightly mismanaged smile. He pointed towards the now obvious castle, gothic in style, on the misty horizon.

"I suspect we're meant to talk to whoever lives there, hmm? A sort of calling."

She nodded, still not feeling totally trusting of this Doctor.

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

From the shadows watched a young boy, part of the local Gypsy camp known locally as the Vortis yard. He rushed back to his peers and the so-called 'king' of the group. He approached the throne, made of a pile of rocks.

"There's an old man and a young woman who want to reach the castle."

The king smiled.

"Well, I should want to meet these travellers."

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The Doctor stopped in at a shop, which was a modern design. This stuck out against the medieval surroundings, like a sore thumb. Outside she watched as giant green creatures, with big claws and large shining black eyes, and creatures which resembled fury three-eyed bats walked past like the usual suspects that stalked London 24/7.

He exited and joined her again. He seemed irritated.

"You ok?"

"I am most certainly not! The buffoon in that ship- er, shop is the most ill-mannered individual I have ever met! Hnnf!"

A small boy ran past them, whipping the Doctor's cane from his hand. The Doctor looked alarmed, and tried to grab him but missed.

"After that child!"

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

They spent four hours searching before the child gave in and guided them to their location. They emerged into a campsite, which had a large drape that masked the obvious frame of a short man.

"What is the meaning of this?! Hmm?!"

"Oh, nothing really. Just a quick talk."

The voice was slightly husky, but warmed Maxine's heart. The Doctor had a glint in his eye, as if he recognised it.

"It can't be..."

"Oh it can. You know, I've been bored waiting. If I had Jamie and Zoe, I could have done something reckless and enjoyable."

The drapes opened to reveal a scruffy man in a tattered black jacket. He wore a blue bowtie and checkered pants, with a Beatles-style haircut. He smiled, and stepped down.

"Hello, Maxine."

"Wait...you're not..."

"I am the Doctor, yes. The second one, you might say."

She looked around and saw that the other Doctor was gone. She theorized he must have been absorbed back into either the past or the next Doctor.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes, the castle."

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The Doctor removed a crust of bread from his pocket and ripped it in two. He offered Maxine a bit, but she shook her head.

"All the more for me then." he mused, sounding in a way happy, before scoffing down the bread. They passed seemingly calm, considerate Daleks and an irate merchant, both discussing a bad payment. They reached the gates that lead to the castle, which was guarded by two men.

"Halt!" said the first. The Doctor kept moving.

"Captain Yates said halt!" the other guard barked.

"I know not to let brutes stand in my way. So, Sergeant Benton, Captain Yates, would you mind letting me in?"

"Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart would not authorise this!"

They were turned away.

"You know them?"

"One, yes. You might say I know the other better in a future past life. Now, come along, I believe I spotted a sewer back there."

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The guards walked to the prince with utmost pomposity. The clan Lethbridge-Stewart had long served with the Prince, and had sometimes almost ruled over the monarchy. The current Brigadier wore an eyepatch along with an attractive mustache.

"Sire, a strange ratty fellow and a young woman demand to see you. We sent them away, naturally."

The Prince sighed.

"You know old chap, one day you'll get it right. If you see them again, be sure to welcome them in?"

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

They emerged from the sewers smelling like a rotting cow.

"You know, the Doctor I know...the _you _I know, is a lot like you."

"Really? How interesting."

"Yeah. Only he-slash-you would be so stupid as to traverse through a poo-infested sewer."

"Yes, well, sins of the past are learned from. And I got us here."

A squadron of guards popped up from around the sewer.

"Don't you have any peripheral vision?!"

"Not in the younger models, Maxine."

He looked around at the guards and nodded his head.

"I think we're meant to follow."

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The courtroom was decorated with gold and red drapes, and ornate statuettes. The throne was occupied by a tall old man with a mighty nose and crumpled-velvet jacket. Maxine noticed the Doctor was gone.

"Don't tell me-"

"Well, at least I'm not a clown."


	2. The Barman, the Loner and the Fisherman

The Lekar strode towards the dungeons, annoyed. He burst through the doors, startling Gabriel and the Doctor.

"Oh, you finally got here." The Doctor said, straining.

"Your friend has managed to locate your first, second and third incarnations."

"Good on her." Gabriel interjected, equally straining.

The Lekar laughed, before slapping both of them.

"Well, I sent captain Magister after them. They won't get far."

He left, but turned to look at the Doctor.

"Don't worry, Doctor. She'll have a tolerable death."

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

"Right, we better get away to find the next me."

The Brigadier entered hurriedly.

"My liege, the Grey Kangs have infiltrated the castle!"

The Doctor looked alarmed.

"Come on Maxine! There's a secret passage back here."

They ran over to a cobbled wall, and the Doctor began to remove stones. They jumped into a thin corridor and began to awkwardly shimmy their way down it. They emerged out into a forest, as the distant screams of the castle filled the air. They kept moving through the forest, before reaching a small commune. At its center was a tavern, with a sign that read "The Blue Box".

"I suppose that's our next stop. Nice seeing you in this form."

They entered the empty tavern. A man with black curly hair and a big toothy grin entered from the back room, followed by a small blue robot dog.

"Hello, Maxine. You'd better get in the back, unless of course you wish to lose your head." he smiled, before jumping over the counter. There was a harsh knock at the door, and the Doctor gestured for her to hide. She heard the door open, and people enter.

"Where is the girl?"

"What girl? Have you seen any girls K9?"

"No females spotted, master."

"You see? No girls. Not that I'm not familiar with the opposite sex-"

"Enough. We are aware of her presence."

"As landowner I can forcibly remove you-"

"For?"

"Hurting my feelings, isn't that right K9?"

"Affirmative, master."

She heard the men leave. The Doctor joined her in the back.

"Right K9, you wait here. We better go."

"Why?"

"Welllll, you know."

"They're coming back, aren't they?"

He nodded. The Doctor threw away the carpet beneath him and flicked open a trapdoor. She jumped down, rolling before regaining her balance. The Doctor positioned the carpet so that it would cover the trapdoor when it fell, and tumbled downwards after Maxine. They ran cautiously down the wet cave tunnel, a visible light which was seemingly the size of a postage stamp in the distance. Maxine wondered how all of the Doctors had changed, what events had kickstarted a visual shift. To be fair, there was nothing else to think about. Which she loved. Ever since the days of Tempergrons and Maghi, since the days she doubted the seemingly impossible, she had learned to take life as travelling down the wormhole of opportunity.

The opportunity she had now was to make sure Gabriel and the Doctor, _her_ Doctor, got out of things ok. No Dalek, no Lekar, not even the devil himself would stop her. They, the people who stood in her way, could hold any gun, brandish any blade, throw any rocks at her and yet she would still walk on. The powers of time and space would flow through and around her, for they were beneath her power. The power of self-belief.

The Doctor tapped her on the shoulder, holding a paper bag.

"Jelly baby? Sugar will do you good."

She took one.

"So, uh, where are we going?"

"No idea. If we had K9, we'd be flying it so to speak."

"So, blind luck?"

"Well, if you want to use those words..."

They almost tumbled out into the wild yonder. The air was a fresh relief, while the bright green trees were a beauty to marvel at in this land of evil. There was a plume of smoke twirling upwards, from the dirt path.

"You know, I have a brainstorming theory that I'm meant to investigate that smoke."

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

There was a man in cricket garb, sitting with a straw hat pushed downwards over his face. He raised the brim, revealing a smiling, young-faced blonde-haired visage.

"Maxine, I've been waiting."

"Doctor? Of course."

"Well, we better get going. Magister has guards patrolling every day at this hour."

They walked, down the dirt path of unpleasantness. She felt as though a million eyes were watching, which the Doctor explained to be 'flesh'.

"We could be caught."

"Brave heart, Maxine."

There was a smell of fishy air. They emerged over a grassy knoll to find a port, thriving. The Doctor looked at her, nodded with a smile, and walked down towards it. She followed him and found herself surrounded by screams. Blue globs were dragging themselves in from the sea, bouncing around and flicking themselves through people's bodies. These people died instantaneously.

"What's happening?"

"Fregs! And not a good batch either!"

They turned to see a face they recognised. The Doctor, the one who wore the colourful coat. Only he was dressed in fishermen's wools, with a thick beige jacket.

"Goodbye, then."

The Doctor joined her side.

"Well, we're going to die."


	3. The Monk, the Traveller and the Absent

Maxine dodged an incoming Freg, grumbling in retaliation. The Doctor ran into a neighbouring shack and came out producing a harpoon.

"From Hell's heart I stab at thee!" he proclaimed, before stabbing through a multitude of the creatures. Maxine turned and saw K9, trundling along in a haste.

"K9!"

"Mistress! Magister is approaching."

She looked at the Doctor. He nodded, still on the lookout for any more Fregs.

"Thank you, K9."

"It is quite alright, mistress."

K9 vanished, knowingly back into the past of the Doctor. She grabbed the Time Lord and they bolted towards the returning forest.

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

Magister and his guards were immediately set upon by Fregs. He swatted them away with the speed of a cheetah and the sword-skills of d'Artagnan, while his men screamed in deathly pain. He gritted his teeth, his true face peeking through for a second. A face of chalky nothingness, of amber eyes that knew only to serve.

He walked onwards, a one man fight for criminal justice.

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

"I don't know if you remember-"

"You trespassing in _my _TARDIS? It's a hard thing to forget."

"But I thought-"

"Those creatures require a two-way dream network. I was placed into one of their pods too. Very uncomfortable."

"Ohhh."

They found themselves at the edge of an enclosed lake. At its center was a large round tower, which had an unusually off-centered bell. They saw a small, but perfectly formed, rowboat and got in, getting themselves to the tower. The Doctor pushed open the heavy door with an anguished sigh, and found himself face-to-foot of a long, purple monk robe. He vanished, and Maxine saw the monk in question. He had short brown-black hair and a sort of shrew-like face. He smiled.

"Hello, Maxine."

"First a Doctor, now a monk."

"I do have my versatility." he replied, rolling his Rs. He hurried her inside and barricaded the doors.

"What are you doing?!"

"There's a nasty race of fish-people known as Saturnynes that are about to rise from the waters to reclaim the land." he replied in a hurried breath. The door began to crack open, which prompted the Doctor and Maxine to run upstairs. They entered a room that seemed to be bigger inside, and found a yellow car.

"This belonged to the third me, but I doubt he'd mind me pinching it." he said, as they hopped into the vehicle. The Doctor informed her to hang on, before pounding the accelerator. The car burst through the stone wall, and they sped off as soon as they'd landed (awkwardly) on the ground. They pelted through the trees, an occasional bird flying past them. They passed bears and odd creatures which the Doctor explained (in yells) as a "Taran Wood Beast" and "Zarbi".

The Doctor stopped driving. Maxine didn't know why, until a man in a blue leather jacket, carrying a satchel, opened her door.

"Sorry I'm late." he said. Another Doctor.

"I wonder how many of you there are."

"So do I."

They walked. The Doctor was keeping quiet, like he knew something was coming.

"You ok?"

"I can see myself up the road here. I'm injured. I'm sorry but you'll have to care for me."

She nodded. They reached a dead tree, under which lay a man with a buzzcut and a black leather jacket, like a U-Boat captain. He opened his eyes and lunged at Maxine, growling.

"Stop! Doctor!"

He shook his head.

"Sorry, 'ad to be sure."

"About?"

"You could be one'a Magister's guards. I suppose the other mes thought that too. Anyway, you're not."

"Good?"

"Fantastic! And you know what? I think our destination is close."

He pointed to the spiralling tower that lay across the horizon. The final journey was about to begin.


	4. The End of it All

The trek to the Lekar's tower wasn't tiring as such, more like an explosive journey. The Doctor had been telling her about the dangers of war.

"We won't fight, if we 'ave to. We'll be right not to." he smiled, although his eyes looked foggy. She nodded.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Does it hurt? The changing bit?"

"Yes and no. What does 'urt is the explanation."

They chuckled. She felt like she had learned more about the Doctor now, and had definitely made her mind up about a trouble she'd been having. Unexpectedly, a group of people jumped them. She lost her train of thought as guards manhandled her into a wooden cart. The cart had electrical wheels, and skidded into a hidden alcove. They were raised by elevator into a lobby, where a squad of guards stood behind a tall skinny man. He wore the same kind of uniform as the others, but had a pinstripe effect running down it. He gave her a wink, and she looked to her side to find the Doctor missing.

"You're Maxine Vaughn, correct?" he asked.

"Um, yes..."

"Well, Maxine Vaughn, what you say we bring you to the Lekar?" he asked, leaning back on his heels with a smug grin. He lead her out personally, and they ran.

"You took your time." he yelled.

"Don't look at me! You're the one who decided to faff about as the king of the Gypsies!"

They smiled at each other and kept running. They entered a dungeon, with two cells. The Doctor pulled down a lever with a cry of "oh yes!" and the cells opened, releasing the Doctor (her Doctor) and Gabriel. She hugged them both.

"You look well, considering you were brought here on a stone pillar."

"I hear all chiropractors recommend it."

The Doctor straightened his bowtie, took out his sonic and looked at Maxine.

"Thank you."

"For?"

"All the help. I can't imagine the state of Bessie though. That's the car."

"Oh, it's alright Doctor. Unlike you."

They turned to see Magister at the door. He smiled, and his face faded into that of the Servant.

"Nice trick."

"I'm full of them." he sneered, brandishing his sword.

"Not the only thing he's full of." sighed Maxine.

The Servant lunged at the Doctor, but missed him. He didn't see Gabriel roll behind him, and wasn't aware of his presence until he jumped on his back. The Servant dropped his sword, which the Doctor picked up.

"Hiya!" he boomed, as he cut through the Servant, who turned to mist.

"What?!"

"Oh yeah, the Servant was just a psychic protection. One cut equals no more serving."

He ran out, and they followed him up a spiralling staircase. They burst through a wooden door and found a sprawling study, in the centre of which was the Tempergron. The Lekar stepped out from behind it, smiling.

"It's over! She helped me get back together! Your plan won't work!"

"My plan? You think I have a plan? No! I am not the problem. In fact, I am but an arm. An arm of trickery."

"You mean-"

"All of this, the Tempergron and the Vortex, this universe...it's a designed distraction. I'm but a crumb of the greater plan. The plan against you. Even if you beat me, there are ones more powerful than I. Ones who walk the Suns of Agrenor as if they were cobbles."

He revealed a sword behind him, and started for the Doctor. They clashed swords with intense anger, and for a while the Lekar was winning. But the Doctor grunted and pushed the Lekar against the Tempergron. He swiped above his enemy's head, and the simplest of scars began to cause the world to crumble inwards.

"I may have lost, but we still win! Do not forget those who savour the flames!"

The Doctor looked at Maxine and Gabriel.

"Hang on to me!"

"Why?!"

"Because I'm the only thing capable of keeping you from turning to dust! Plus I'm cool!"

They gripped onto his jacket. He closed his eyes, and they followed suit.

"Geronimo!"

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

They had found the TARDIS where they had left it. They materialised at UNIT HQ.

"Well, here you are. Try not to pop in and out of time."

Gabriel moved to the door, and Maxine followed him. The Doctor cleared his throat, and she stayed back.

"Look, I-"

"I know. Thank you, Maxine."

"It's just...I saw you. How you started. And how you progressed. I know what those voices were, back in that maze. So I figure if you can go so long without killing yourself, you'll be fine without me. And besides, can't leave Gabriel by himself. Thanks, honestly. I really enjoyed it. Y'know, maybe one day we'll meet again."

"I hope so. Goodbye, Maxine."

"By the way, don't go alone. You know, I kinda liked that K9 thing."

"So did I. Goodbye. You...you were ruddy great."

They smiled and gave each other a farewell nod. She exited out of the door for the last time, tears streaming down her face. Behind her the TARDIS vanished, kicking up a breeze. Gabriel turned to her.

"So, what now?"

"Boring life. The good life."

Maxine Vaughn had a new flatmate. A decision she didn't remember ever forgetting about.

**lllllllllllllllllllllllllll **

The Doctor dwelled on the Lekar's words, but put them to the back of his mind. Like all villains, threats were easily given.

He arrived in the workshop, and asked the man for his box. He tossed away the rod he had come for in his dream, which he'd never used, and took the other item.

Inside the TARDIS, he made one final check. Then he booted up.

"Master."

"K9, We're going on an adventure."

**The End. **


End file.
